


September First

by NoMatterTheOceans



Category: A Court of Thorns and Roses Series - Sarah J. Maas
Genre: F/M, Hogwarts AU, Pining, Rhys POV, teenage pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-02
Updated: 2020-04-02
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:42:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,836
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23447212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NoMatterTheOceans/pseuds/NoMatterTheOceans
Summary: Requested by Anonymous: Can you do this hogwarts AU fic at some point for Feysand! I have a crush on you but you’re in another house and we have no connections whatsoever so how the hell do I approach you AU. Because we all know that Rhysand is taken by Feyre from first glance and pining from his perspective is great.
Relationships: Feyre Archeron/Rhysand
Comments: 7
Kudos: 119





	September First

As Rhys climbed down the Hogwarts Express, he felt a rush of feelings go through his body at the sight around him. The Hogsmeade train station was crowded by nervous-looking first years and people shouting as they ran towards the carriages or greeted friends they hadn't seen on the train.

This year was gonna be good. He'd passed his O.W.L.s with tremendous success, and was heading into his sixth year with a renewed confidence. He would go to class, enjoy Quidditch practice, study for his N.E.W.T.s, and nothing else. Certainly not think about  _ her _ .

He was done with his ridiculous crush, he couldn't allow himself to spend another minute daydreaming about her and wishing he had the nerves to talk to her. And he couldn't take another minute of Cassian making fun of him. After all, he was good-looking, smart, mildly popular. He could date anybody he wanted, and he would. This year would be different. He wouldn't spend his evenings curled up on an armchair near the fire in the Hufflepuff common room thinking of her. Definitely not.

He turned around to see if the others had come out of the train, and his renewed determination vanished instantly.

Feyre Archeron was climbing down on the platform, her cat in her arms, hair undone flowing around her face, more beautiful than ever. Or maybe he'd just forgotten how beautiful she was during the summer.

***

It had all started when he was in fourth year. They'd been in herbology class, on a cloudy Wednesday evening, when she'd come in. A third year Slytherin girl, bringing a message from the headmaster to professor Sprout. Immediately, he'd found her beautiful, with her nose covered in freckles and her pretty smile.

But the crush had started a couple of weeks later, in Hogsmeade.

He was buying sweets with Mor when they'd heard a commotion outside and had rushed to see what the fuss was about. A third year boy had been yelling at a pair of seven years, begging them to give him back a book he'd apparently just bought. The seven years were just laughing at him, and Rhys had been about to talk when she'd stepped in.

So short, compared to them, it hadn't stopped her from planting firmly her feet on the ground and put her hands on her hips, somehow looking down on them despite being several feet shorter than them.

"Give it back,' she'd simply said, a simple sentence that had started a five minutes argument on the street, until the boys had resigned and given back the book with an apology.

Rhys hadn't stopped thinking about her ever since. He knew he should have stopped, but she was so brave and kind and pretty, he couldn't stop himself. He would see her studying and wish they could study together. His house would win a game and he'd only wish for her to be in Hufflepuff to celebrate with them. But they had nothing in common, and he'd been too infatuated to dare ask her out.

The fifth year had started, and he'd wanted to ask her out, only to find out she was dating Tamlin, the jackass Gryffindor every girl was drooling over. He'd spent the next year trying to get over her. Without success.

***

And now here she was, standing alone on the platform, straightening her robes as her cat climbed down from her arms to curl around her legs.

"Rhys, are you coming or what?" A voice came from behind him, and he tore his eyes away from Feyre to find his brother calling him for a carriage. The platform had emptied, everybody already riding up to the castle while he'd been standing here like an idiot.

But as he was walking to the carriage, he saw his cousin reach it, her hand intertwined with her girlfriend's. Mor turned to him with a big smile.

"Do you mind taking the next one? I asked Andromache to ride up with us."

And with that, she gave him a wink and nodded to the next carriage, before closing the door in his face.

With a loud sigh, he watched his family drive away without him, and went to the next carriage, realizing it was the last one of the line. He climbed into it, closing the door, and sat down on the bench. He was about to greet the person in front of him when he froze. It was Feyre.

Her cat curled up on her lap, she was scribbling in a notebook, unaware of his sudden panic. Or just not caring enough about him for it to matter. They'd never talked, after all. Despite his deep, unrelentless crush on her, she probably didn't even know his name.

But they were alone for the first time, and for at least a good ten minutes. He couldn't just say nothing.

"Hi," he said in an annoyingly high pitched voice, miles away from his usual smooth tone.

He immediately wanted to slap himself for it, but she looked up from her notebook, and smiled at him.

"Hi."

Their eyes locked, and he got lost into her blue-grey stare for what seemed like an eternity, his mouth going dry as the emotions rushed through him.

Feyre raised an eyebrow at him, her gentle smile turning slightly crooked, and he felt heat rush to his cheeks. Hoping she couldn't see it in the faint evening light, he coughed and rubbed his hand to the back of his neck.

Two years of constantly pining after her, and they were alone for the first time. He needed to start a conversation. He was usually very at ease with words, but right now? He felt like his brain had forgotten anything that wasn't Feyre's face.

Thankfully, she seemed to fare better.

"You're in Hufflepuff, right? Chaser in the quidditch team?"

He took an extra second to appreciate how enchanting her voice was, So much more wonderful than what he remembered. Maybe because she talking to him, now.

"I am. And you're in fifth year, slytherin?" As if he didn't know.

She nodded and straightened slightly on her seat, her cat meowing with indignation at the movement.

"I'm Feyre."

"Rhysand."

Merlin, he'd spent the last two years imagining how their first conversation would go, and now that it was actually happening, he was at a loss. She looked away from him to look back at her notebook, and he decided to go with the first question that popped into his head:

"Stressed out about starting your O.W.L. year?"

Not the best question, seeing the grimace on her face.

"Very much so. I was trying to not think about it right away but…" she trailed off and gave him an awkward smile.

"Sorry."

"No, it's okay. I haven't stopped thinking about the exams since I picked up my new books last week, it's not your fault." She closed the notebook and put it down next to her, fidgeting the pencil between her fingers. "How did your O.W.L.s go?"

He relaxed at the familiar question, the one he'd answered about ten times that day already.

"Good enough. I got all the grades I needed to move on to the N.E.W.T.s I need, So I was very happy about that."

"What are you studying this year?"

"Transfiguration, History of Magic, Muggle Studies, Charms. And Care of Magical Creatures."

She let out a startled laugh. "That's an odd mix."

"I know! I want to work for the Ministry, hopefully bettering our relationships with muggles, especially in regards to the work of magizoologists. Transfiguration is just because I like the subject, I want to learn more while I'm in school."

"You're a Transfiguration nerd huh? Lucky."

"What do you mean?"

"I suck at it. I need the N.E.W.T. to get into St Mungo's healer course, but I don't think I'll even get the O.W.L. now."

"Are you really that bad?" He leaned down towards her, unable to look away from her as she answered.

"I am. My boyfriend was supposed to help me get better but…" her voice faltered for a second. "That's not happening, now."

"Why? Does he not want you to pass?"

"Well I guess that he just doesn't care now that we're not together anymore."

Suddenly, he was hoping there was more noise around them, enough that she wouldn't be able to hear his heart beat so fast in his chest.

"I'm sorry."

"It's fine, I broke up with him in June, I'm over it. Look, we're here."

Indeed, the castle was now in plain view as the carriage stopped in front of the entrance.

They climbed out and entered the hall, Feyre letting her cat down on the floor. But instead of rushing away, the cat circled them and brushed against Rhys' legs, purring.

"He never does that with anyone," Feyre said in an amazed voice, and he looked up to find her smiling fondly at the cat. Merlin, she was pretty.

"Really?"

"No, he's always avoiding people when they're not me." She looked up at him, her eyes bright in the candle light. "You must be pretty good with animals."

He shrugged, and the cat stopped his purring, trotting away towards the dungeons and the Slytherin common room.

They stood in silence for a second, the noise coming from the great hall the only sound around them. And finally, she talked.

"We should go in or we're going to miss the Sorting."

He nodded, and they went to the big open door to their right. They entered the loud room, and Feyre smiled at him.

"It was nice talking to you, Rhysand."

But he wasn't ready to say good night yet, so instead, he blurted out:

"I'm really good at Transfiguration, you know. I could help you if you want."

Her eyes grew big, the smile turning into a grin.

"Really? It wouldn't bother you?"

"It'd be my pleasure," he said in an overtly excited voice, immediately regretting his cheesy answer.

But she didn't seem to mind.

"Oh, thank you Rhysand, it would be amazing!"

They stood in silence for a second more, but then the first years began entering the room, and Rhys realized they were still standing at the edge of the great hall, with the whole school sitting a few feet away. Feyre seemed to have realize it too because she stepped away from him.

"We need to go sit down. But maybe we can meet up after the feast? We can go down together to the common rooms, maybe talk a bit more?"

"Absolutely."

And then she was walking towards the Slytherin table, and Rhys turned to his own house, finding his brothers grinning at him with mocking smiles. But he didn't mind tonight. Not when he was walking Feyre Archeron to her common room in a few hours.

This year was gonna be a great year.


End file.
